


it's coming closer

by Inkmagine



Category: Legally Blonde - Hach/O'Keefe/Benjamin
Genre: F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, I'm just that kind of writer, Mutual Pining, POV Third Person, Pining, lots of introspection happens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-07
Updated: 2020-07-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:15:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25134487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkmagine/pseuds/Inkmagine
Summary: "I think someone needs to talk to you"Their moment had to fade. It had to, he convinced himself as he let his hands drop from her waist. She deserved closure.“It’s okay.” He was reassuring himself more than anything else. “I’m... I’m gonna see you later.”And then he let her go.--A post-trial study in four parts.
Relationships: Emmett Forrest/Elle Woods
Comments: 11
Kudos: 118





	1. Interviews

**Author's Note:**

> I've been watching this musical on repeat for the last week, and this is what comes of it. Most of these chapters are gonna be kinda short, but it didn't feel right to just lump everything together into one long one-shot. This fandom needs more multichapter pics anyways.
> 
> I should have the next one up pretty soon, don't worry, you all won't have to wait weeks for me to upload everything.

“I think someone needs to talk to you.”

In a split-second, Emmett took into account Warner’s shifting posture - if he didn’t know the man better he’d have called him nervous - his eyes darting from the floor up to their embrace, and the slight twitch in his expression that said a lot of things, none of which very positive.

Their moment had to fade. It had to, he convinced himself as he let his hands drop from her waist. She deserved closure.

“It’s okay.” He was reassuring himself more than anything else. “I’m... I’m gonna see you later.”

And then he let her go.

He had no chance of guessing what Warner would do. Wasn’t he still engaged to Vivienne? He guessed it didn’t matter to the jock-looking man who most likely got into Harvard from name (and his parents’ money) alone. He and Elle deserved to hash things out now. Who was Emmett to get in her way now, after everything they’ve been through?

As he exited the courthouse, multiple reporters swarmed in, asking him questions right off the bat. Oh, if only he’d been briefed beforehand about this. Emmett was admittedly a good lawyer, but this kind of press was way out of his comfort zone. It was like some monstrous and nerve-wracking amalgamation of a cross-examination and an incredibly thorough deposition rolled into one.

Throughout answering their incessant questions - and he really did have to, otherwise the defense attorneys could have a chance at telling their side first - he knew through experience that there was no hope of controlling little miss Woods-comma-Elle. Not that he wanted to, but even if he had done something differently when it came to Warner he knew there was no hope of changing her mind, whatever her decision about him was. And that was why he had to let her go. He couldn’t - _shouldn’t_ \- be expected to control the raging, passionate fire within her when he was the one who kindled it in the first place.

Just as he started to get into a more comfortable position telling the reporters what happened in the courtroom, though, the universe just had to blindside him once more.

“And what exactly is your relationship with the Ms. Elle Woods?”

He stalled like an old car. The thing was, he didn’t really know the answer to that himself. But the journalist with nerves of steel and an expression to match wanted an answer, a story, and so he was inclined to give one to her.

“She is one of my closest friends, and a fantastic law student with a bright future ahead of her.”

And then he let her go.

It wasn’t as if that wasn’t true, it absolutely was, but his mind was in such a twisted knot that he just said whatever came into his mind first. Because yes, that was what he thought of when he heard her name.

As he pushed past the others down the steps of the courthouse, he thought back to all the study sessions the two of them had in that bright pink room when the only light came in from her lamp on the desk and outside in the hall. He remembered her infectious smile and wholehearted laugh whenever he repeated some humorous anecdote from his own law student days, her bright enthusiasm whenever she showed him a test that she aced, and her fiery passion that he had the pleasure of seeing firsthand when they had practice debates on case studies in the cafeteria. The memories made him smile to himself, and if they were to remain mere memories after everything had died down, well, then he would be okay with that.

The reporters didn’t seem to bother him all that much afterwards, possibly turning over to one of the other interns coming out - did he dare to hope? No, he couldn’t risk that. He had absolutely no idea what he would do or say if he actually did see her up there in that bright pink suit looking as radiant as the moment they embraced.

No, it was safer to just get in his car and go collect his things from Callahan’s office at school.

And of course, Emmett was known for playing it safe.


	2. Nostalgia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is very short, I apologize. The next one I'm not sure about, but the last one is definitely a long one. ;)
> 
> I wrote this all on the Notes app on my phone, so sorry for any typos and weird grammatical errors. My brain doesn't always word things correctly (thanks ADHD).

The drive was short, although parking always has been and always will be hard to come by at Harvard. That much hasn’t changed since his first day. At least it gave him an excuse to try and focus on something other than Elle at the moment.

He could still feel the ghosts of her arms around him, her body pressed against his, the way she felt as light as a feather when he picked her up... He was lucky he didn’t get into an accident on the way there.

But he also found that, even if she was still in there, talking with Warner about god-knows-what, he wasn’t at all worried about her or the choices that she’ll make going forward. Whatever happens, he’ll support her through and through. Because that’s what best friends did for each other.

_If you love someone, set them free._

He stepped into the dark first-story classroom, one of the bigger ones compared to others 1Ls had to take, and the nostalgia of the smell hit him like a truck as he realized exactly what had transpired the past few days.

He remembered the professor pacing around the front of the classroom, lecturing them on the reading - _no, he was a monster_ \- he looked back at where he sat all those years ago - _who else in my class had that happen to them? How could I have missed it?_ \- and then he froze at the spot where, on any other day, Elle would have been seated, a flash of color amidst the mournful grays and browns of the other law students. _Elle..._

He drew in an unsteady breath as the world seemed to tilt on its axis, just for a moment. He saw her there, in front of him, with a black suit and tear-filled eyes as if she had come back from a funeral. He wanted so much to somehow console her, to sue Callahan for all he was worth and drag his name through the mud, but in the end it wasn’t about what he wanted. It was about her. It was always about her.

And suddenly he knew what to do. Now he just had to muster up the courage to see it through.


	3. Purpose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter should be up later today if my schedule allows it. It's a pretty good one, if I do say so myself. In the meantime, have this chapter to fill the gap.

He practically shoved his extra papers and materials into the back of his car as he gathered his things from the classroom. There would be time to reorganize later. Right now, he was on a mission.

His mom once told him, when they were walking through a crowded sidewalk, that he always had to move with a purpose. He’d be an easy target otherwise. The sentiment had scared him at first, then he came to understand later on in high school and college. In Harvard, any weakness shown is open to attack, even when you’re just going to class. It was the price he paid along with tuition to be in the same vicinity as old money kids. Walk with a purpose, and people will want to stay out of your way.

And right now, he had a pretty important purpose to be walking towards.

He had the route memorized by now, which made things both easier and harder for him. Easier because he didn’t have to worry about getting turned around on the campus grounds, but harder because he now had the extra mental space to worry about what exactly he was going to say to Elle when she stood in front of him and silently demanded an answer like the journalists outside the courthouse.

In all honesty, he had no idea what to say. He kept reminding himself to keep his shoulders straight, look up, don’t let them see the fear in his eyes. He was going to Elle’s dorm room, and he was going to say that...

Wait, what if she wasn’t there? What if something happened along the way? She may have gone to her friend’s salon, or out on the town, or any number of places where he wasn’t at the current moment.

Still, he had to try. If she wasn’t there, he could always wait or try another place. He didn’t want to call or text. He had to see her in person. He had to tell her in person.

He was lucky he was still wearing his nice tailored suit instead of his old brown jacket and jeans. His hair had lost a lot of its shape from the wind, although he hoped it still looked at least half decent. As it turns out, his clothes did have an effect on the people around him, as well as his own self-image. How long had he been living in the dark like that, unaware of the endless cycle of his mental state? It was as if Elle had turned on the light within his mind, or perhaps she had been the lightbulb itself.

There was no way around it, she was the anchor he kept to against his chaotic life. She was his oasis in the desert, his calm within the storm, his constant companion, his best friend.

And she was the woman he fell in love with.

That’s why he kept walking forward, even if his mind went blank anytime he even thought about what to say to her.

But maybe, just like an interview, just like a deposition, just like a trial, he could tell her the truth. A crazy idea, to be sure, but an idea nonetheless.

And that’s how he found himself walking down the hallway, stopping in front of Elle’s door on instinct alone, and rapped lightly on the dark wood.


	4. Lipstick

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *trumpet fanfare* The final chapter has arrived! Ironically enough as I was posting these chapters (I had already written everything out beforehand, it was just a matter of posting to the archive) I ended up writing out an additional fifth part to this, but I'd already said this would be in four parts, so I may post it as a standalone later if you all want me to.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy the conclusion to my late-night ramble-fest.

He thought back to the last time he stood outside her door. His hands had been pressed against the wood, he couldn’t help but curse himself that he hadn’t tried harder, that he hadn’t fought harder to keep her there, to make her see that she was valued, and appreciated, and loved.

Oh, she was so, so loved. Not just by him, he realized that when he contacted Vivienne and Brooke about what happened last night, but by almost everyone she came into contact with. Everyone, including-

_Emmett, stop._ He couldn’t get worked up now. He - _they_ \- would cross that bridge when the time came. Together. Right now he just had to see her.

He tried again, trying to listen in to see if he could hear any movement from inside. Was she even here? Damn it, he forgot to ask if anyone had seen her come in, he’d been so focused.

“Yes?” came a voice from his side. His breath caught in his throat as he turned to the all-too-familiar face of his best friend.

If Emmett had thought she looked beautiful then, in the courtroom, it was nothing compared to the way she looked now. Her pink suit was ruffled and uneven, and her hair had likewise escaped however much hairspray she had put on it before the trial and was obviously messed up by the wind.

She was absolutely _gorgeous._ She was also looking at him expectantly, and Emmett had flashbacks to the previous disaster-filled night. But no, she stood confident and radiant now. She deserved to.

“Hi, Elle...” was all he could manage at that moment. He forgot everything leading up to this point in an instant. What was he going to say again?

“Hi,” she said, giving him a smile that could have melted even the most stone-hearted person in the world.

“Elle, I just wanted to-“

“Wait, let me go first.” She stopped him with an open hand, and he obeyed. He watched her avoid his gaze - was that a hint of blush on her cheeks, or just makeup? - before stepping forward to meet his eyes fully - how was she not hearing his heart rate going completely out of control?

“Emmett, I...” This was the first time he’d ever seen her hesitate, or even look unsure. Even when she had dark stains under her eyes from tears, she was sure that she had no place there at Harvard, or in Boston. He truly didn’t know how to respond, it was so antithetical to the woman he knew.

“Warner proposed to me.”

Emmett expected a lot of things in that moment, but _this_ left them all in the dust. His mouth fell open without him realizing it as she continued.

“Vivienne dumped him, and after the trial he said that he was wrong about me and that we belonged together and it should have been everything I ever wanted but the thing is that-“ she took in a deep breath as Emmett’s head spun trying to process everything. Where exactly was this going? He didn’t know how to feel.

“He was wrong. When he pulled out the ring and got down on one knee, I realized that, well, it just felt... wrong. Like, it wasn’t what I really _really_ wanted deep down, you know?” She looked up at him, and he realized that her question wasn’t rhetorical.

“Umm...” Even after all his mental preparation, Elle still managed to completely take him by surprise. “I think so?” Well, no one could say he didn’t try.

She let out a short chuckle, which he took as a good sign. “I said no.”

Again, he was at a loss. He knew that she no longer cared about earning Warner’s approval - she hadn’t for a long time now - but no possible response he thought about saying seemed to fit the moment other than leaving everything hanging in the air like what was happening now.

“You said no?” he repeated.

She nodded, losing the extra bit of energy she had before and turning solemn and, dare he say it, serious.

“I’m gonna stay here,” she said. “I’m gonna stay here and keep on studying to be a lawyer and even if my second year goes as crazy and horrible as my first semester...”

He smiled at that. “Well hopefully some things I taught rubbed off on you-“

“I want you to stay.”

He could only stare at her, his mouth half-forming whatever he was going to say next that was now lost on the tip of his tongue.

“I want to keep studying with you. The semester’s not over and I still have finals to prepare for and I really could use the extra company even if you drink all my Red Bull and eat all my snacks and make me stay up late running over flash cards and case notes, I still want to spend time with you, because... because you’re important to me, Emmett.”

He couldn’t help but look down at her bright pink lipstick as he watched her expressions. The way she said his name, so softly and so carefully, sent a cold shiver up his spine.

“You’re important to me, too.” _Much more than you realize._

She offered no response other than a grateful look and another step forward, and so he took this moment to expand on his words. “I wanted to tell you last night, but after everything that happened, and the trial, and then Warner and all the aftermath, I just never got the chance.”

“You can tell me-“

“I love you.”

The words hung almost visibly in the space between them, the air so thick Emmett had trouble drawing in a breath, and in an instant realized how close they had gotten. If he leaned forward, tilted his head down just a bit...

“Emmett...” Her voice was a whisper, but he had no problem hearing her now. _Please,_ he asked silently. _Please, let me get just a little bit closer. Will you let me get just a little bit closer to you?_

And she once again surprised him by dropping her face and unlocking the door he had ended up blocking from her. Instinctively, he moved to the side so that she could have an easier time with the key.

_Wait, what?_

He was rendered speechless as she opened it so casually after what he thought was a very charged moment. He saw her push a lock of golden blonde hair back behind her ear, something she frequently did when nervous, and the pinkish-red of her cheeks was definitely not the same color he had seen before.

He wanted to ask her why, why no response, why she trailed off when he spilled his heart out to her just then - which was no easy feat for a guy like him - why she was suddenly going about her business like they were friends on a break again, but he couldn’t. His throat was closed and it was difficult to breathe, even if he was no longer in as close a vicinity as he was just seconds prior.

But then, the look she gave him, that same glint she had in her eyes outside of that department store, told him everything. Not here, in the hallway, where anyone could walk past. _And of course I had to blurt that out in a public place,_ he thought with embarrassment.

But then again, he also wanted to shout it from the top of the world, that he was in love with Elle Woods, the smart, courageous, beautiful, and tenacious law student that laughed with him over courtroom comedies and ate with him at lunch and taught him so much in just the few months they had known each other.

His feet were glued to the ground, however, and he found it hard to move his legs in the intended direction. _Go to her,_ he told himself _. Go, she’s waiting for you._

Elle sighed against his apparent reluctance, and reached up to fix his tie and didn’t let go.

He jolted at the contact, but didn’t move away. It was quite the opposite, actually. With her hand grasped against his tie, it was just the kind of action he needed to spur his mind into working overtime. She half-dragged him into the room, still an explosion of pink but with the addition of boxes around the floor and missing most of the posters from the wall.

“Emmett Forrest,” she began, closing the door behind them and shutting them away from the outside world. “You are the most wonderful guy I’ve ever met.”

He kept searching her expression for answers. Was this another moment? Was this the _right_ moment? He didn’t know. This was entirely new territory for him.

“And, just for the record...”

She stepped forward and, using his tie as leverage, pulled him into a kiss.

Fireworks exploded in his mind, he couldn’t close his eyes. He saw the soft curls of her hair, the deep blush now covering her cheeks, the flutter of her eyelashes as she pressed closer to him. He made a noise somewhere between an exhale and a groan in his throat. He felt the softness of her lipstick, the hand holding his tie turning into a gentle hand on his chest. He put his hands on her waist - as soon as he remembered what to do with them - and felt her lean even closer to him as a result. She was driving him wild, in an entirely different way than when she usually did so.

Just as he succumbed to the moment, Elle pulled away. For a second, he thought about chasing her, meeting her lips with his again and kissing her until they both forgot the world, but then she opened her mouth to say something, and he was inclined to listen.

“I love you too.” Her voice was breathless. He wanted to hear it that way more often. He watched her lips form those four words that set his heart ablaze, pink lipstick no longer perfectly matching the outline of her mouth.

“Elle...” He brought up a hand to her face, trying to wipe away a streak of pink against her fair skin. She giggled at the contact, his thumb ghosting just over her lips, not really helping but the sentiment was still there.

She put one hand on his jaw and the other near his hip, which made him inhale sharply. They were both smiling as their lips met once again. Somewhere in the back of his mind he figured that if she was kissing him like this, with as much fire and passion as he’d seen her display in the well of that courtroom, then she didn’t really care how messy her lipstick got as a result. And he loved her all the more because of it.

_If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they’re yours._


End file.
